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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

That a Vodafone shop wouldn’t accept cash in payment and it pissed me off?

281 replies

Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:13

So as the thread suggests then AIBU because a branch of Vodafone wouldn’t accept cash and it pissed me off?

I went into a Vodafone store around 4 weeks ago to buy a £20 memory card and I was aghast when the sales advisor told me that they didn’t accept cash because it was ‘a hassle’ and that paying by card was easier for the shop, it wasn’t the end of the day or anything like this where they had counted all their profits for the day.

I didn’t have my debit card with me that day so I went elsewhere to buy it but I was really pissed off, what if I was purchasing a brand new iPhone 8, or whatever the latest one is, at over £700 then would they have been happy for me to walk out their shop and spend that money elsewhere.

I have always suspected that actual cash will be done away with one day but not for a good few years at least and not in a Vodafone shop.

I didn’t look into this, I was just pissed off and wondered if any of you ladies/gents had experienced this and if so where, when and for how much?

OP posts:
Dandelion1993 · 10/01/2020 01:17

Vodafone shops have been switching to cashless since the summer.

It's ridiculous as there are some things, like a phone case they if I've got the cash I prefer to use that.

PumpkinP · 10/01/2020 01:21

Weird, I’ve not heard of shops not accepting cash Confused

Original poster
Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:23

Dandelion I never knew thisShock and I’m quite shocked!

Ridiculous and like you say for a cheaper purchase then cash is better.

I wonder how much business they have left because of this...

OP posts:
Original poster
Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:23

Lost not left, god this phone!

OP posts:
ItsGoingTibiaK · 10/01/2020 01:24

They're a business - they can, broadly, choose to operate how they like. Taking cash requires registers, and floats and cash-handling policies and counting and balancing and security etc.

They're a successful company. They'll have realised hardly anyone pays for a £700 iPhone in cash. The majority of phones they sell will be part of a contract that requires credit checks, and direct debits etc. A significant number of people who shop there will be tech-savvy people who have Apply or Android Pay set up on their phones. People don't tend to make large purchases like iPhones on a whim and so will have planned ahead and taken a card with them. Most people carry their cards with them wherever they are anyway.

I doubt they're losing a significant amount of money (for them) from not accepting cash. Even on a £700 iPhone purchase, how much of that is actual profit that Vodafone are losing.

You went elsewhere. That's a business risk they've chosen to take. If they were losing more than they gained from not accepting cash, they wouldn't do it.

Original poster
Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:30

I just find it very odd, it’s usually cards that shops find a hassle.

There was a thread on here the other day about a restaurant that wouldn’t take cash and so the group walked out without paying because they hadn’t seen the sign that said ‘no cash’!

OP posts:
ItsGoingTibiaK · 10/01/2020 01:41

This thread? It was the opposite - they would only take cash.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3782658-To-think-we-shouldn-t-have-had-to-pay

PomBearWithAnOFRS · 10/01/2020 01:41

I am actually quite pleased to hear that this is actually a thing in Vodafone shops.
I went to my local one a few weeks ago, with a person I support at work (they have learning disabilities) and I honestly thought it was just that they didn't want to deal with them! The staff were rude and dismissive, and it was quite upsetting, so on a way, it's good to know it wasn't them being disablist, they're twatty with everyone...

Creepster · 10/01/2020 01:45

I do not think it is legal for shops to refuse legal tender.

Creepster · 10/01/2020 01:47

I just looked it up. No law that requires shops to accept the coin of the realm for products, only for debts.

ALongHardWinter · 10/01/2020 01:47

So the move towards A cashless Society has begun.....

Original poster
Inappropriatefemale · 10/01/2020 01:51

Sorry yes it was that thread ItsGoingTibiaK and I have obviously gotten mixed up!

OP posts:
AlwaysThinkingOfNames · 10/01/2020 01:54

ours had been card only for at least a year.
I won't use them, not because of that but because of the shitty attitude of the staff. I waited 5 minutes while they chatted together and ignored me and then walked out.

heartsonacake · 10/01/2020 03:37

I think it’s great. A move to a cashless society is a good one.

I do not think it is legal for shops to refuse legal tender.

Creepster Shops can refuse money for any reason; you don’t have a right to buy from them. If you go into a shop and give them a £20 note, they don’t have to take it; you aren’t entitled to service.

More than likely unless you create trouble you aren’t going to be refused, but they have every right to if they want.

Mintjulia · 10/01/2020 04:05

The easy answer is don’t buy anything from Vodafone.
They are terribly arrogant and there are plenty of alternatives Smile

LucaFritz · 10/01/2020 04:36

Was only a matter of time before cash became obsolete in store's though it leaves less room for errors and discrepancies in the till amount at the end of the day. As someone who's sat and counted up many tills over the years and had to figure out where the lost money is etc i welcome it but i do wonder how the older generation will cope with it all

PhilCornwall1 · 10/01/2020 05:05

It annoys me. I generally pay cash for everything, I just feel more comfortable that way.

It's fine to say cashless is the way to go and it's the future, but I had to laugh when I went to fill up my car a while ago and the fuel station had a sign up "cash only", as all their card machines were down. Cashless is fine until the technology lets you down.

ittooshallpass · 10/01/2020 05:08

Our local Vodafone is cashless too. There are signs around the shop to let customers know.

I don't have a problem with it at all. It makes everything quicker and easier.

Vodafone will have done its homework. They wouldn't go cashless if they were making a loss.

I have never seen anyone pay cash for a £700+ item in any shop, so I'm pretty sure Vodafone won't be missing out on sales.

BoomBoomsCousin · 10/01/2020 05:26

YANBU. I don't think stores should be allowed to refuse cash. It disenfranchises some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Toomanygerbils · 10/01/2020 05:28

Aghast and shocked 😂

VenusOfWillendorf · 10/01/2020 05:33

Thanks for mentioning, I had no idea about this. What are kids or others without bank cards meant to do? Shop elsewhere I guess...
I hate the idea of a cashless society. Apart from the loss of privacy and forced reliance on technology, it discriminates against the homeless and anyone without a bank account for any reason.

SachaStark · 10/01/2020 05:34

How did you manage to go shopping and not bring a card with you? Confused

Luckystar777 · 10/01/2020 05:40

This is the future, it will be cash free everywhere. David Icke has been going on about it for years. Most people didn't listen, and still aren't.

When the machine refuses to let you buy your food / rejects your card (eventually microchip), then what?

Shock
Soontobe60 · 10/01/2020 05:48

I won't use them, not because of that but because of the shitty attitude of the staff. I waited 5 minutes while they chatted together and ignored me and then walked out.

Really? If I went into a shop and the staff were chatting to each other, I'd just walk up to them and say 'excuse me, can I have ...' rather than stand around waiting for them to finish! Works every time.

Kazziek · 10/01/2020 05:50

There are a good many lunch places around my offices that refuse cash, so much so that I don't actually carry cash any longer